Louis steinberger



(No Model.)

L. STEINBERGER.

' SPRING CLASP FOR HOLDING LETTERS.

No. 400,138.. Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

LOUISSTEINBERGER, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

SPRING-CLASP FOR HOLDING LETTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,138, dated March 26, 1889.

Application filed July 10, 1888. Serial No. 279,550. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that T, LOUIS STEINBERGER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Spring-Clasps for Holding Letters, Papers, and other Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists in a clasp made of a piece of spring-wire bent and crossed upon itself to form opening and closing frames, substantially as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. Said clasp may be used for holding letters or loose papers in the pocket or elsewhere; also for carrying attached single or double tablets with or without memorandum-books, for holding books open while being read or used, and for various other purposes.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of a spring-clasp embodying my invention; Figs. 2 and 3, perspective views-of the same as applied under different positions of it to holding loose papers, and Fig. 4 a further perspective view of said clasp as applied to holding a memorandum tablet or book. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a modified construction of the clasp, and Fig. 6 a perspective view of the same as applied to holding a series of loose papers.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings, the clasp there shown is made of a single piece of spring-wire, b, of round or any other suitable shape in transverse section. This wire, which is endless or closed at its ends, is bent to virtually form two rectangular frames, A B, and is crossed in a free or loose manner in reverse directions on any of the adjacent sides of the two frames, as at c,-

to form what may be termed a running hinge, that the frames in opening and 010s ing work from. The one A of the frames may be made wider than the other one, B, to fasliding or adjusting themselves to the marginal side opposite to that at which the force is applied to open the clasp. Thus, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the clasp, which is represented as of oblong form, but might be of square or other shape, has the crossing portions of its wire situated on one of its longest sides to hold in direction of the length of the clasp and within it a series of loose papers, d, or attached tablet or memorandum-book e, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, or whatever other article or articles the clasp is designed to held. In Fig. S-the clasp is represented as having been adjusted to bring the crossing portion of its wire at one end of it, which provides for the clasp occupying a position at right angles to that shown in Figs. 2 and at in its hold of the papers or articles, d, within it. In either and all cases, however, the crossing portions of the wire will be opposite to the opening and closing margin of the clasp, and will form what maybe termed a selfadj usting hinge to the spring-clasp.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a modified construction of the clasp, that may be made, like the one hereinbefore described, of a single piece of spring-wire bent to form two rectangular frames, A B, to hold the loose papers, (I, or other articles within them; but in this modification, instead of the wire crossing in double or reverse directions, it only crosses once or in a single direction from the end of the one frame to the opposite end of the other frame, and the terminal portions of the wire form eye-loops f to or are otherwise suitably connectedwith the opposite ends of the frames.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An expansible clasp consisting of two parallel frames connected at one en d only and movable toward and from each other, the clasp being open at its other marginal sides and end to receive and clasp a book or other article, substantially as set forth.

2. An expansible clasp consisting of two parallel frames connected at one end by a diagonal arm extending from opposite corners thereof, the clasp being open at its opposite end and at both sides, substantially as set forth.

3. An expansible clasp consisting of two parallel frames and two crossed arms connecting opposite corners of the said frames at one end of the clasp only,wheieby the op- I posite end of the clasp and its opposite sides will be unobstructed to allow oi the insertion of a book or other article, substantially as set forth.

4-. An expansible clasp consisting of two parallel irames formed of a single wire crossed from opposite corners of the frames at one end of the clasp, the sides and opposite ends 

